Insanity Asylum Review: Back to Core

Today, before I start my Insanity Asylum Review, I want to say how grateful I am for the comments and emails I have received about the reviews so far. I’m always thrilled to get feedback, as long as it’s good feedback (smile). Actually, in almost every review or article I post online, I always ask for comments, feedback, questions… Or to join us on Facebook, or to subscribe. I like the interaction, and the accountability that this brings. It keeps me engaged in my own fitness journey, and I hope it either starts you on yours, or keeps you moving as well! So keep ’em coming!

Today’s review, Insanity Asylum: Back to Core

Shaun T sums up this workout when he says, “You work your whole body, but in a different way.” I absolutely love the variety in this program. I mean LOVE IT. I didn’t know what to expect when I pushed play this morning. This workout is like none you have done before. Back to Core is about working your entire back. And when you’re done, there is no question. Mission Accomplished.

So talking about the variety in the program. My first review was on the Fit Test. A very functional and practical assessment of your current conditioning level. Then you move to the next workout, Speed & Agility. A completely different kind of cardio workout. Then the next day was Strength. Yet a different type of weight workout then any other workout I have done. And I’ve done a lot, almost all of the Beachbody workouts so far. Now today’s Back to Core. In each workout, everything was unique, including the warm ups. Insanity, the warm ups were always the same. Day in, day out. The actual workouts were different, but the warm ups always had that deja vu feeling. In Insanity Asylum, each of the workouts so far, start entirely different, and then continue to have originality throughout. Very cool.

So with Back to Core, the entire workout is about body control, isolating the muscles, and staying in it.

You begin the workout with 42 minutes and 30 seconds on the timer, and the warm up starts.

For next 9-10 minutes you complete 8 exercises, each lasting approximately 1 minute. You start with 3 different variations of jumping jacks, while performing a back exercise. Then you move into something Shaun calls Monkey Squats. Then you repeat all 4 moves. Talk about warming up the back! When I started the workout this morning, my first 3 sets of jumping jacks and back exercises were tight. By the second set, it was an obvious difference, and I was well on my way to getting warmed up.

After the warm up, you get into the core part of the workout. This part of the workout is about 30 minutes long. And depending on how you count the exercises, there are somewhere around 9-10 exercises. This segment focuses on the shoulder blades, traps, lower back, which of course strengthens your entire core. These exercises are all dynamic, meaning everything is working together. This workout also incorporates those strength bands that came with your purchase of Asylum. Most everyone was using the green band.

At the end of this workout, my lower back was definitely feeling “worked over”. And at around 3 minutes left on the timer, you go into the cool down and stretch.

One of the best parts of this workout was that there was no jumping around after the warm up. No jump squats, no knee tucks, nothing like that. Be prepared to work, nonetheless! But yet again, Shaun T does it again with another fantastic workout! After this workout, I actually felt BETTER than I did going in. I was sore from previous workouts, and feeling run down (Asylum is tough). But at the end of Back to Core, I was warmed up, and feeling great.

Don’t forget, I have to brag on this cool tracking tool I have been using. XtremeFitPro, I also developed an Insanity Asylum mod for it, so you can contact me if interested. Jump over and take a look!

7 Comments

Back to Core is is such a great workout. With the exception of the jumping jacks int he warm up, you can take that nice break from the high intensity, and just focus on getting deep into the moves, and working on your core strength. Don’t mistake it for easy, just a different kind of hard/good. 🙂

jackie on May 23, 2011 at 4:30 pm

Enjoying your reviews for Asylum. Just completed my first day in speed and agitlity and loved it. I note from your review of back to core you mention the bands that came with the DVDs. I did not get bands with mine! I got the jump rope and ladder. Have i missed something?

Loving your reviews for Asylum! Very interesting, i am reading up about the workout on here first before i do it so i am prepared for what is to come. Just wondering with the resistance bands, do you ship to the UK? Thanks

I did INSANITY regular and I see a difernence in the program of two months, but I wanna do INSANITY the ASSYLUM, looks interesting, but I don´t know if I can get resistances bands and the other things needed to perform the workout, except for the dumbells and the Did you thing that only with the dumbells I can do INSANITY ASSYLUM?